Together with BB-9291, it formed the very last order for Class 9200 (1963). Both were designed as of construction to 250km/h (instead of 150/160 for BB-9201 to 90), for high-speed trials, through:
• higher horsepower (4240kW instead of 3850kW);
• new bogies; and
• new single-arm pantographs (AM18).
As those high-speed trials had looked quite promising, SNCF decided to use both these locos to upgrade flagship Rapide "Capitole" (Paris-Toulouse) to 200km/h, effective 28th May 1967.
From 1974 until 1979, both ran with adapted buffers, so as to haul the overnight "Barcelona-Talgo" III-RD formation on Paris-Toulouse, no faster than 140km/h, though.
Thereafter, they were re-built to 160km/h with standard dual-arm pantographs, and adapted to pull-push operation of Corail formations (for Paris-Orléans-Tours-Poitiers).
Paris-Austerlitz.
Photo by Georges Grenier (Acknowledgements)
# georges-grenier@wanadoo.fr
Posting and comment by P.L.Guillemin (plguillemin@yahoo.fr)